Client onboarding setup: from signed contract to first delivery

Who this setup is for

Agencies, consultancies, accounting firms and other service businesses that take on new clients regularly. The aim is a first week where the client knows where to go, what you need from them, and when the first meeting is.

You repeat these steps by hand for each new client; it takes a few minutes once you have done it once.

Spaces to create

The space has two chats: Pulse for your team only and Guest Pulse for talking with the client's guests, so internal discussion stays in Pulse.

Modules to turn on

The Client type starts with Tasks, Schedule, Posts and Activity, with Pulse always on. Turn on Docs & Files so the client can share and receive documents. Turn on the Board if delivery starts straight away, and the Timesheet if you bill by the hour (in the Guest access tab it can stay hidden or show guests their own hours or team hours).

Task lists and example to-dos

• Onboarding (us): "Create space and invite client contacts", "Send welcome post", "Book kickoff meeting", "Set up folders", "Confirm billing contact"
• Onboarding (client): "Upload signed contract", "Share brand assets or access details", "Confirm main point of contact", "Review and approve project plan"
• Ongoing: "Send weekly update" (repeats weekly), "Monthly review with client" (repeats monthly)

Share the client-side list with guests and assign its to-dos to them so they see what is waiting on them. The internal list stays internal.

Board columns

If you use the Board: Requested, In progress, Client review, Done. This gives the client a clear view of where each request stands.

Docs and folders

Create folders for Contract & scope, From client, Deliverables and Meeting notes. Write a short "How we work together" doc covering response times, where to raise requests and who to contact.

Schedule

Add the kickoff meeting with the client's contacts as invitees; they can reply Yes or No. Then add a recurring weekly check-in and any known deadlines as all-day events.

Pulse and Posts

Pin a welcome post in Posts: who is on your team, what happens in the first two weeks, and a link to the "How we work together" doc. Use Pulse for quick questions, and ask the client to comment on the relevant to-do or card rather than sending email.

Guests

An admin invites the client's contacts from Admin Console > Guests and they are added to this space. Everything stays internal until a member shares it: mark items "Guest" or "Internal", and cards follow their column while docs follow their folder. The space's Guest access tab sets each section to shared items or everything, view or edit. See guest access.

Optional board Rules

• When a card enters Client review, assign the account lead.
• When a card enters Done, mark it complete.

When onboarding ends

Most client onboarding is complete within two to four weeks. When every onboarding to-do is ticked off, archive the Onboarding lists so the Tasks tab shows only ongoing work, and update the welcome post with anything the client asked more than once. Then carry on in the same space for delivery: the client already knows where to look, and the history of what was agreed at the start stays next to the work. Keep a copy of your onboarding to-dos in a doc in your own Internal space, so the next client starts from the same list.

Try it

Read client management for the full model, or the agency template for a whole agency workspace. Consulting firms use the same setup for new engagements. Emitii is invite-only: request access, or try a live demo from the Emitii home page.